Pulp International

vintage and modern pulp fiction; noir, schlock and exploitation films; scandals, swindles and news

ROSY OUTLOOK

Katon makes a charitable contribution to the world.

Well, as we often do when returning from an intermission we’re sharing something a bit more eye-catching than usual. Rosanne Katon, who you see above, appeared in such films as the 1976 blaxploitation flick The Muthers, in which she starred with fellow centerfold Jean Bell, the 1980 horror classic Motel Hell, and the black actioner Ebony, Ivory & Jade, discussed here. She was already established in film and television when she decided to appear in Playboy magazine in September 1978. It’s hard to say if it helped her film career. Her roles came with neither greater nor lesser frequency than before. She continued to act into the early 1990s, then segued into the humanitarian sector. Which is apropos, because this extraordinary photo shows her ample generosity. It was shot during her 1970s Playboy sessions but wasn’t published until 1996.

The Muthers, Ebony Ivory & Jade, Motel Hell, Playboy, Rosanne Katon, blaxploitation

THREE THE HARD WAY

Hong Kong kidnappers have problems mastering possession, and so do the filmmakers.


If Tarantino likes it, it must be tops. At least that’s the assumption some would make upon learning that 1976’s Ebony, Ivory & Jade, aka She-Devils in Chains, has Tarantino’s stamp of approval. Well, despite the endorsement and status as a minor classic of the blaxploitation genre, the film isn’t great. It has some highlights, including confidently staged action sequences and camerawork that does seem to have influenced Tarantino. But its failings are legion—bad script, wooden acting, and heavy duty crushed black levels that make the actors almost impossible to see in the night sequences. We’ll give a pass on that last problem, because it could have happened during the video or DVD transfer.

We’ll admit though, this flick is damned funny in parts—unintentionally so, foremost the character Stacy’s beatdown of a bad guy who morphs into a dummy at the moment she hoists him overhead and helicopter spins him through a room divider. The basic idea of the film is also appealing—Hong Kong bad guys kidnap five female track stars for ransom, unaware that two of them happen to be martial arts experts that will cause no end of trouble once they untie themselves. Playboy playmate Rosanne Katon in the lead role is also a plus. But as blaxploitation, even a discernibly elevated budget doesn’t lift the film above other entries in the genre.

As a side note, the above promo poster should help put to rest any idea that apostrophe illiteracy has something to do with modern education or the internet or whatever. It has always been a problem, and we see it all the time in vintage material. This particular failure to master the possessive form is pretty egregious, though. Yes, it’s attached to a movie shot in the Philippines, but the error made it all the way through a phalanx of American writers, designers, pre-press workers, printers, and producers working in the U.S. of A. at—or at least for—Lawrence Woolner’s Dimension Pictures. Pretty bad. Though as we’ve noted in the past, sometimes apostrophe placement can be legitimately tricky.

Hong Kong, Philippines, Dimension Pictures, Lawrence Woolner, Ebony Ivory & Jade, She-Devils in Chains, Rosanne Katon, Colleen Camp, Sylvia Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, poster art, cinema, blaxploitation, movie review
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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

1946—CIA Forerunner Created

U.S. president Harry S. Truman establishes the Central Intelligence Group or CIG, an interim authority that lasts until the Central Intelligence Agency is established in September of 1947.

1957—George Metesky Is Arrested

The New York City “Mad Bomber,” a man named George P. Metesky, is arrested in Waterbury, Connecticut and charged with planting more than 30 bombs. Metesky was angry about events surrounding a workplace injury suffered years earlier. Of the thirty-three known bombs he planted, twenty-two exploded, injuring fifteen people. He was apprehended based on an early use of offender profiling and because of clues given in letters he wrote to a newspaper. At trial he was found legally insane and committed to a state mental hospital.

1950—Alger Hiss Is Convicted of Perjury

American lawyer Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury in connection with an investigation by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), at which he was questioned about being a Soviet spy. Hiss served forty-four months in prison, but maintained his innocence and fought his perjury conviction until his death in 1996 at age 92.

1977—Carter Pardons War Fugitives

U.S. President Jimmy Carter pardons nearly all of the country’s Vietnam War draft evaders, many of whom had emigrated to Canada. He had made the pardon pledge during his election campaign, and he fulfilled his promise the day after he took office.

1915—Claude Patents Neon Tube

French inventor Georges Claude patents the neon discharge tube, in which an inert gas is made to glow various colors through the introduction of an electrical current. His invention is immediately seized upon as a way to create eye catching advertising, and the neon sign comes into existence to forever change the visual landscape of cities.

1937—Hughes Sets Air Record

Millionaire industrialist, film producer and aviator Howard Hughes sets a new air record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in 7 hours, 28 minutes, 25 seconds. During his life he set multiple world air-speed records, for which he won many awards, including America’s Congressional Gold Medal.

  • FEATUREd PULP

INCLEMENT WEATHER

Two Spanish covers from Ediciones G.P. for Peter Cheyney's Huracan en las Bahamas, better known as Dark Bahama.

DON GIOVANNI

Giovanni Benvenuti was one of Italy's most prolific paperback cover artists. His unique style is on display in multiple collections within our website.

WALKING AFTER MIDNIGHT

Italian artist Sandro Symeoni showcases his unique painterly skills on a cover for Peter Cheyney's He Walked in Her Sleep.

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